1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water purification systems and methods.
2. Description of the Technology
Distillation systems used for water purification rely on the evaporation of water containing contaminants, so as to produce steam which is essentially free of contaminants. Advanced distillation systems normally reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by means of degassing and a very effective method of degassing entails steam stripping of the incoming water. Non-organic contaminants, such as dissolved salts or solid sediments, are normally removed during boiling, so that only clean steam is produced and subsequently allowed to condense into purified water. Advanced distillation systems can remove mist contaminants by means of a demister-cyclone which imparts high rotational forces to the steam containing mist particles, thus separating and subsequently discarding mist particles by centrifugal forces and allowing only clean steam to condense into the product water, as described in PCT application Nos: PCT/US2004/03993, filed Dec. 1, 2004, PCT/US2004/03991, filed Dec. 1, 2004 and U.S. nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/255,083, filed Oct. 19, 2005, all of which are incorporated herein in their entireties.
Demister cyclones operate according to the principles of gas-cyclones, which separate gases from heavier (i.e., denser) solid or liquid particulates according to differences in specific gravity. Demister cyclones effect separation by imparting a rotational speed to the mixture of gases and particulates.